Belardi/Ostroy Announced Creative Awards at 6th Annual Marketing Summit and the Results are in!

Over 120 marketers and brands attended Belardi/Ostroy’s 6th Annual Marketing Summit in Napa Valley earlier this month. From discussions about industry opportunities and challenges such as merchandising, creative, data and technology, and customer acquisition and retention, the theme, “Driving Retail Forward,” accurately represented the event.

For the first year ever, Belardi/Ostroy launched its very own Creative Awards. These awards cast a spotlight on specific brands that have recently added customer-centric touches and innovative practices to amplify their successes. Award categories included: Best Picture, Best Remake, Best Series, Best Actors, Best Script, and CSR Salute. The audience avidly voted for the winners.

2017 Awards, Nominees & Winners

Best Picture a.k.a. Imagery: Stand out! The Best Picture emphasized the top displays as individuals process images more quickly than text. Specifically, the nominated brands accurately reflected an emotional or psychological driver.

Nominees: Tea, Serena & Lily, Blu Dot, Lucky Brand

Winner: Serena & Lily

Best Series a.k.a. Retargeting: Mix up the form factors. The Best Series highlighted brands that were recognizable between touches, but not identical. These brands reiterated that personalized communications drive response and increase brand loyalty.

Nominees: J.McLaughlin, Blue Apron, Balsam Hill, Boden

Winner: Blue Apron

Best Script a.k.a.Messaging: These brands accurately used typography and design to make key messages implicit. More specifically, the Best Script nominees understood the importance of tailoring their message to their customers.

Nominees: Pottery Barn, Title Nine, Marine Layer, Samuel Hubbard

Winner: Samuel Hubbard

Best Remake a.k.a. Format Refresh: These brands updated their formats to appeal to a new, and typically younger audience. They simplified their design and put more emphasis on visuals to tailor messages to their customers.

Nominees: Sahalie, Bassett, Gump’s Style, Bounty Hunter

Winner: Sahalie

Best Actors a.k.a. Relatable Models: More brands are using real people and models with accurately depicted proportions and appearances. The Best Actors nominees appreciate that consumers often look for themselves in a lifestyle and therefore, these brands began using real people as models, which inspired trust and affinity and leads to augmented customer retention.

Nominees: Team USA, American Giant, ELOQUII, OluKai

Winner: ELOQUII

CSR Salute a.k.a. Corporate Social Responsibility: There are a growing number of new brands whose social responsibility is key to their existence. Today, brands emphasize their CSR partnerships, practices and philanthropy efforts. These nominees understood that consumers generally align themselves with brands that resonate with them – and made themselves the “it” brands!

Nominees: Amour Vert, west elm, Bambeco, Merrell

Winner: Bambeco

We would like to thank the audience for casting their votes. Congratulations to the winners! Looking forward to next year’s round of Creative Awards!